So, this past week I was in Vegas with my GF and our friends (another couple) and we rented 2 S2Ks, a 03 and 05. I had the 03 but got to trade off whenever we stopped. First let me say that I have a new found respect for this car, it's a great car, very nimble and quick! We ended up taking a drive out to the Hoover Dam and along the way there were plenty of twisty roads so it was a real fun drive!

The 03 that I had was definitely involved in a accident (poor thing). The passenger side door would rattle and clunk when closing it and when going over bumps. The lines on the rear fender and trunk were not aligned at all and over spray marks on the passenger side definitely lead me to believe the car was in a accident. The engine felt great, I loved the fact that I could hold the gears for a long time and the stock exhaust note was really nice, better than I expected. The only downside to the S2K that I didn't like was the lack of torque. I love torque and I love being pushed to the back of my seat but then again I'm sure if I ever did get a S2K it would be blown. The ergonomics of the car was great, everything was laid out nicely but I had a hard time finding the gas door release lever, had to call the car rental place to figure it out . Also, I'm not sure if this is a common problem, but whenever I was at a complete stop, and I threw it in first, I would feel a bit of a clunk coming from the tranny or rear dif, is this normal?

The 05 my friend rented was great! There really is a difference in power between the 05 and 01-04 models, his rev limiter was less but the torque down under the curve was far better for me. If I had to get a S2K it would be a 05 it seemed far more driveable for me. Suspension wise it felt softer when going over bumps. When we took it out to the Hoover Dam with all the winding roads, the 03 felt like it was all over the place while the 05 seemed poised and very calm. I'm not sure if the advantage went to the 05 fairly since the 03 was definitely in a accident. Both trannys felt strong and shifting at 9k doesn't seem to be a issue with this car.

Enough of my ranting, I just wanted to say that I'm jealous that I don't have a S2K, maybe a year from now I can get a used 05 and have 2 weekend cars!!!

-Erik

Our friends...


Me with the 03


05 and 03


My GF revvin' the S2K hard

 

Are your friends the one that made you change ?


If they did to them

 

Welcom to the club!

 

the test drive was all i needed to buy the car.

 

Congrats looks like you had fun.

 

looks like you had a great time.....enjoy!

 

Looks like a great time! Just so ya know, both the 04-05 would be the same. 00-03 have the 2.0L engines and the 04-05 have the 2.2L engine with a little more torque and 8k redline.

 

my mistake....yes i would go with a 04-05 for the torque, any cosmetic differences between the 04 and 05?

 

how much did it cost to rent the s2k?

Cosmetic changes? Very minor.. Revised center console, redesigned instrument cluster, different radio door, upgraded interior arm room, new headlights/rear lights, new front bumper/rear bumper, relocated airbox, new 17" rims instead of 16", more torque & lower redline, small modification to the gearbox (it's already perfect anyways)..

to tell you the truth, i don't know which one i would want to buy.. I mean, the the 2000-2003 is unique for it's 9K redline. It's a PURE car. The rest of the world still uses the F20C while the US is the only country that gets the F22C (8k redline).

The 2004+ is a great car as well. I like the fact that it has gotten a few upgrades, especially the front/back lights, however, they tampered with the engine. It's a great engine, no doubt, but by only having a range of 2k for VTEC and redline at 8,200K, makes it sort of IMPURE. The sense of rush is taken away as compared with the 9k redline. But i guess it all balances out because the 2004 s2k has greater torque, which makes daily driving a lot easier. I'm sure you know what it feels like to drive a 2000-2003 in traffic, it's a bit rough cause of no torque.

bleh, i'm rambling. anyways just my 2 cents.

 

'05 is identical to '04.